It's interesting how hard, and how easy it is at the same time to give something up from our diet (or our lives for that matter).
For my 31 years of life I have been eating gluten, without thinking about it twice. All of a sudden, just because of a decision to try something out, I think about anything I am considering eating before
actually doing so: does this have gluten?
Days 2 and 3 were particularly interesting. One of those days was my day off, and the other the first day at work during the owner's vacation, time during which I am in pretty much in charge (extra stress and insanity included).
On day 2, setting myself up for success I cooked up a storm of gluten free deliciousness: quinoa with roasted beets, fresh peas and feta; grilled asparagus with dill, cilantro and lemon; "fakesoto" my famous brown rice risotto; heirloom beans with collards and bacon; among other things.
It was a beautiful Spring day. Sun shining, blue skies, leaves and flowers fluttering in the wind. My husband was making mint simple syrup to bring to work the next day, and the perfume of mint and sugar spread all over our house, screaming Mint Juleps in my ears.
As I put on my cutest and flirtiest face to ask him to please make one for me, I realized that I didn't know what grains were gluten free. I asked him what kind of Bourbon we had, and he told me the brand name, as well as the two grains making it up: corn and rye...
I jumped online to find out if rye was a culprit, and to my dismay, it was indeed. No Mint Juleps for me...
Later that day, I was making Chicken Cashew (one of my in laws recipes). We make a variation of this dish at least every few months. It is a simple chicken stir fry, to which I always add a bunch of vegetables. As I reached in the refrigerator for the ingredients to make the sauce, I decided to double check our soy sauce. I had already thought about the fact that many soy sauces do contain wheat, however, the brand we use at work (where we go through gallons a week) is gluten free, and it is the same brand we have at home. Alas, the brand makes two kinds of soy sauce, and the bottle in our refrigerator listed wheat as its first ingredient...
Here I am, in the middle of cooking about seven different things, pretty much ready for this sauce to be done, bottle of soy sauce in hand. What if I just eat a little of this all week? I asked my husband. He looked at me with the face he makes when whatever idea I am pitching is just wrong and I know it. Alright, alright!
So I scrambled in the refrigerator to figure out what impromptu sauce to make to turn chicken cashew into something deliciously gluten free. Asian BBQ it is! Heirloom tomato ketchup, molasses, apple cider vinegar, sirracha sauce, lime juice. Voila! It turned out really good.
At the end of the day, after all the chores were done, J surprised me with a delicious, beautiful, gluten free Mojito...
The next day at work, I was making bread for hours, and while waiting for it to rise decided to clean out my shelf in the walk-in. I had a few cake batters, as well as cookie batters from previous tests, and thought it would be a great idea to bake them all for staff meal. As we walked through the line that afternoon, my friend J (the lady who inspired me to try this gluten free business) and I were the only ones skipping dessert from the buffet. Sweets are always such a treat at work. No treat for us.
This is Day 4. I am not sure yet if this change is making a difference in my pain level. I think my knee and ankle pain have indeed improved, but the pain in the actual leg (shin, and inside the bone) are the same. I think it is honestly too soon to tell, so as of now, I am just examining how this exercise in self restraint is affecting my mind and soul. One thing's for sure, my creativity is getting better everyday, one gluten free meal at a time.
What's the update on your gluten free experiment?! Are you still on track? Has it helped?? :D Miss you amiga...xo
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